


And the nights were as dark as my baby, half as beautiful too

by hllfire



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Angst, Bad use of Telepathy, Canon Era, Character Death, Dark Charles Xavier, Drowning, Horror, M/M, Not Friendly Mermaids, mermaid au, merman!charles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26048587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hllfire/pseuds/hllfire
Summary: He felt himself drift off as the boat went through the water, rocking lightly with the gentle waves as if it was cradling him to sleep. His mind slowly drifted off as well, the sound of wind or the creakings of the boat becoming distant, every physical feeling as well as the feeling of the metal around him slowly fading away as he thankfully slipped into unconsciousness.It was then that he heard the song.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	And the nights were as dark as my baby, half as beautiful too

**Author's Note:**

  * For [feathershollyandgolly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feathershollyandgolly/gifts).



> First of all, a big thanks to feathershollyandgolly (secretlymagneto on Tumblr/Twitter) for shooting horror ideas at me after I said I wanted to write more horror because this wouldn't exist without him. 🤝❤️
> 
> Second of all, this is not a happy story. It's based on old mermaid lore where they drowned sailors so please be aware that the "Drowning" tag is there for a reason. It's also the first time I used an archive warning lmao
> 
> Anyway, I'm fucking terrified of the ocean, hope you guys enjoy this!

The sea was calm, the winds blowing the water lightly and making the sailboat shake but nothing that would be a danger. Not like the storm that had struck the night before, turning the ocean into a living nightmare and making Erik fear for his life for the first time in the weeks he had been sailing. The skies above him were clouded, however, little sunlight crossing them and giving Erik the gloomy feeling that another storm could come at any moment, hoping that it wouldn't. He was too tired to know if he could last against the raging ocean another time.

He looked at the calm waters, dark circles under weary eyes that seemed to hurt now, hands on the wheel as he tried to keep the boat on its course, the winds seemingly changing at their own accord as he went through the ocean. His body ached slightly from the strain of keeping the boat together the night before, using both his physical strength and his power to keep himself alive, and he wished now he could sleep, but the winds and ocean currents weren't helping, blowing him away from his destiny everytime he stopped checking, as if the ocean was trying to stray him away. He couldn't let that happen, not when his food was completely gone and his water was almost ending as well. 

His only comfort was that, if he was right about where he was, it would only take one more day of sailing before he reached the shore and was able to eat and drink properly. To rest. For now, however, he only kept himself together and kept going, as if he needed to prove himself that he wasn't falling apart. 

When a few hours later the winds seemed to stop trying to stray him and the currents slowly dragged the sailboat in the right direction, he finally sat down at the boat's deck and closed his eyes, body weary and clamoring for rest. He felt as if he couldn't even get himself to the lower deck, to lay on the soft pillows and sleep, so he just laid down on the wooden floor under him, taking a deep breath and ignoring that his mouth felt dry. He could drink water later, he needed to save it anyway. 

He felt himself drift off as the boat went through the water, rocking lightly with the gentle waves as if it was cradling him to sleep. His mind slowly drifted off as well, the sound of wind or the creakings of the boat becoming distant, every physical feeling as well as the feeling of the metal around him slowly fading away as he thankfully slipped into unconsciousness.

It was then that he heard the song.

For a moment, Erik thought he was already dreaming as the soft melody started playing, a voice singing in his mind as soft as velvet and sweet as honey, calling for him without saying his name. It was only when Erik opened his eyes and the melody continued that he realized it wasn't a dream, making the man frown and sit up as he recognized the song.

It was an old lullaby, one his mother sang to him when he was little, that always brought him comfort. He never forgot the lyrics, and he could hear that they were right as the voice sang. The sultry voice wasn't his mother's, but it seemed calming like hers, like the person singing could bring Erik the same comfort that his mother once gave him before she died, and, for a moment, Erik wished for that comfort. His body ached and his mind was tired, and that song promised rest and solace for his weary head; it promised food and water, promised an escape from the waters that surrounded him as he floated in the middle of the ocean alone, promised peace that he didn't even know he wanted. 

He got up then, eyes looking around to see where the song was coming from, realizing after a while that it was all around him, inside his head, singing and singing, softer and softer with each word. Even so, Erik looked by the side of the boat, into the dark and deep waters, frowning as he noticed the glimpse of what looked like a fish tail just near the surface of the water before it disappeared under the boat, scales shining with the little light that still crossed the clouded skies. He frowned even deeper as he realized just how big the tail had been, but his mind didn't focus on that for much longer. The song now seemed louder, more luring and distracting, as if it wanted Erik to do something.

He went to the other side of the boat then, his steps becoming lighter as if he was in a dream, as if he wasn't able to feel his body properly anymore. There was only the song and the sweet voice that sang it.

As Erik leaned against the other side of the boat and looked down at the water, he once again wondered if he wasn't dreaming as he saw a pair of eyes looking up at him, just under the surface. They shone like gemstones under the salt water, bluer than the sea or the sky, as if they were sapphires floating on the ocean; they seemed to see Erik in every way possible, and he should've been scared at the idea, but he wasn't. The song wouldn't let him get scared, the song said that those eyes were comfort, a safe ground, and Erik believed. Deep down, part of him warned him about it, about those eyes and that song, but there wasn't place for those warnings in Erik's mind now. 

He soon saw the face of the man who stared up at him — _Charles,_ his mind whispered at him the name, and Erik knew it was that man's name for some reason. The man had pale skin, his face features slightly distorted by the moving water, but Erik was sure he never saw a man so beautiful in his entire life. His lips were red like blood, hair dark as it floated around his face softly with the water, and he noticed what looked like freckles over his shoulders and face. Only after a few seconds Erik noticed that Charles was following the boat, but he didn't know how, and something wouldn't let Erik look at the man's legs, the song distracting him everytime he tried. 

They looked at each other for a few moments, Erik suddenly feeling his chest aching to be next to that unknown man on the ocean, the song still soft and tempting in his head as it made Erik want — _need_ — to be with Charles, because it was with him that he would get what he needed, what he wanted. Down on the lower deck, the letter that made Erik set sail in the first place laid forgotten after being in Erik's mind for weeks on end. Any motivation that Erik had before of revenge pushed away by that soft voice in his head and those blue eyes staring at him. 

Erik let a pained sound leave his lips as he leaned a bit more over the boat, seeing Charles' red lips curve up into a sweet smile that seemed to make Erik's chest hurt more as he wished to see it closer and clearly, without the moving waters stopping him from seeing his face. 

When Charles reached up, his hand leaving the water, Erik reached down to take it. For a moment, when he touched the cold wet skin of Charles' hand, Erik heard his own mind scream for him to let go, to find a way to leave those waters as fast as possible, because that touch was more dangerous than the storm he had faced before, but soon that feeling died down as well. Charles' voice in his head grew more demanding, and Erik couldn't help but attend to his demands. Slowly, Charles started pulling Erik's hand underwater with him, smile never leaving his lips, and Erik allowed him, feeling the cold water touch his skin and making him shiver.

When Charles couldn't pull anymore, when the only way Erik could go further was to jump into the water, Erik let go of the hand and took the jacket he was wearing off, as well with his shoes, desperate to follow Charles, to see that smile and those eyes up close. When he was only in his shirt and pants, Erik sat at the edge of the boat, and the song seemed more excited now, happy that he was doing it, and Erik liked it, the feeling it gave him.

Without hesitation, Erik took a deep breath and jumped into the ocean.

He opened his eyes underwater, not caring that the boat was leaving without him and finally, _finally,_ looked closely at Charles. He stayed floating where he was, legs moving slightly to keep him from sinking completely to the bottom, and watched as Charles swam at him, finally seeing his legs. His _tail._

Where his legs should be there was a tail with multicolored scales that seemed to shift in color as he moved, hypnotizingly beautiful to Erik's eyes, ending in an almost translucent fin. His upper body was pale as Erik had seen before, freckles painting his skin beautifully, and his face without the distortion of the water was even more breathtaking as it got closer and closer to Erik. The whole time, the song kept going in Erik's head, keeping him calm and pliant to allow Charles to get closer. 

Charles smiled wider then, arms pulling Erik close as if they were old friends, lovers, hugging him and keeping Erik from sinking now, and Erik only stared, feeling joy fill his entire body as he was held by Charles, letting his arms wrap around the other man as well. Charles' skin felt soft under his fingertips, but his grip was hard, locking Erik there with him, where he wouldn't be able to escape. 

Inside his mind, a voice spoke to him, soft and smooth like silk.

 _"I like you, sailor. I'll keep you. My most precious treasure..." o_ ne of Charles' hands moved to cup Erik's face, blue eyes staring at the man as if he was truly a precious thing. _"Now, take a breath my darling. Let the ocean in."_

This time, Erik hesitated as his survival instincts kicked in, telling him to hold his breath and swim to the surface, but soon his resistance was broken. Charles was all he needed to finally have peace, he would keep Erik safe, so there was no reason to not do as he was told.

At the first breath, Erik convulsed in Charles' arms as water filled his lungs instead of air, everything inside of him burning as the salty water entered his body. Charles only smiled at him, fondly, pulling him closer and placing a kiss to Erik's forehead as if he was trying to calm a child. But, despite the pain and agony that filled his whole body, Erik took another breath. 

It didn't take long for his body to shut down completely at the lack of oxygen and the water that filled his lungs. The last thing he saw was Charles' eyes looking adoringly at him. The last thing he heard was the song, now sang by his mother's voice like a memory, and Charles' voice over it, saying:

_"I'll take good care of you, my darling."_

When Erik's eyes closed and his body completely gave out, Charles held him close and carefully as if Erik was a delicate thing, staring at the human's face and studying his features. Part of him was sad that Erik's beautiful and sharp mind had stopped singing, slowly dying down as his body succumbed to the water. But he'd keep Erik as he said, take care of him, because from all the minds Charles touched and all the humans he had brought into the water, this one felt special.

 _Fragile things,_ Charles thought, fingertips running softly over Erik's cheek before he held Erik's body tighter in his arms as he pulled him to the bottom, disappearing in the dark waters with him.

***

When the sailboat was found adrift just a few miles away from the coast of Florida, the coast guard frowned to find it empty when there were clear signs of someone having been on it.

In the lower deck, all they found were clothes, an old compass, a coin, and a letter addressed to one Erik Lehnsherr.

> _"I know who you are. I know who you're looking for. I know what he did to you._
> 
> _Florida. You have two months. Schmidt will be gone after."_

***

As Emma Frost watched the coast guard bring the empty boat to the docks, a quick glance into their minds showed her that they had seen that letter, that the empty boat was Erik Lehnsherr's boat.

Her face remained neutral, but there was disappointment and frustration in her mind at the fact that the man hadn't made it, as well as curiosity over what happened. As Shaw watched her curiously, she accepted that Lehnsherr wouldn't come to her aid.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kuddos are more than appreciated and keeps an author's soul alive. Even a "❤️" or "+kuddos" are valid and will make me cry. ❤️
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://hellfre.tumblr.com) and [twitter](http://twitter.com/hllfire)!


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